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Resident urges Cairo to adopt historic preservation ordinance to protect downtown buildings
Summary
Margaret Tyson, introduced as representing the Historic Preservation Commission, asked the council to consider a historic preservation ordinance to stabilize neighborhoods, attract grants and support downtown revitalization; she cited local historic properties and prior briefings by state and regional preservation staff.
Miss Margaret Tyson told the council she supports the creation of a historic preservation ordinance and a commission to identify and protect the city’s historic resources.
Tyson said she lives in a 100‑year‑old house on North Broad Street and described rows of historic properties and an African‑American Bethlehem AME church that she said should be preserved. She outlined benefits of adopting an ordinance, saying it would guide neighborhood conservation and downtown revitalization, make the city eligible to become a certified local government and open access to preservation grants and heritage‑tourism opportunities.
Tyson reviewed meetings and outreach she helped organize, including presentations by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs and a consultant from Nashville, and visits to historic properties across the county. "It is a proven economic development driver," she said, arguing preservation could stabilize neighborhoods and increase property values.
Council members thanked Tyson and said they would take her comments into consideration.
